Al Wafd party has announced Egypt’s first ever shadow cabinet. Dr. Ali Salmi is the shadow prime minister , Mounir Fakhry Abdel Nour is the shadow minister of economy, Dr. Mohamed Kamel is the shadow minister of foreign affairs ,famous lawyer Bahaa Abu Shoka is the shadow minister of legal affairs and Amr Adeeb is the shadow minister of information.
By the way MP Mustafa El-Genndy is the shadow minister of Sudan !!?? Yes Sudan , it seems that Al Wafd party thinks itself in 1945 or something !!? Already we do not know what Sudan they referring to , the Northern Sudan or the the Southern Sudan !!?
I understand that Al Wafd party cares for Sudan as part of its old heritage after all Saad Pasha resigned after the murder of Lee Stack but let’s agree here that with all the cons of Saad pasha , he would kick the neo-Wafd members’ asses especially Siyad El-Badawy and Reda Edward’s !! By the way I respect Mustafa El-Genndy’s foreign relations and activities , he seemed to be open on Africa on a way that makes me wonder on his academic and professional background.
Anyhow back to the shadow cabinet of the shadow party , I have always thought that the shadow cabinet is made of the current ministries not fictional ministries like for instance the ministry of sports which is headed by shadow minister Taher Abu Zaid , the famous footballer who has joined the Wafd party from couple of months ago !!
And the big question after reading all the info about that shadow cabinet: why there are no shadow ministers for interior or defense or national security !!?? Seriously I read all the news reports about that shadow cabinet and I have not found any reference about the ministries of interior , national security , defense and military production.
This is just a media stunt , nothing more , nothing else. Just like the Neo-Wafd ,it is fake political move.
By the way is this a real Ad for Al Wafd party !!?? If it is then … I do not know what to say !! It is a pure comedy !!?? Democratic change as an injection in the ass !!? Is this a suggestion from the pharmaceutical tycoon Siyad El-Badawy Shehata or what !!??
its all not even a media stunt. it is toal nothing..Vacuum
ReplyDeleteWAFD sucks big time...
when badawy says " we will only withdraw from the elctions f it is rigged against us only..
what else do yuo expect.. he is more Machiavellian than Machiavelli him self.
OUCH!
ReplyDeleteBecause no civilians are allowed to hold those 3 posts and at the same time, no service men-in the military or police- are allowed any political particpation or to join parties... hence Egypt is under military rule despite the civil law and order charade.
ReplyDeleteAMR ADIB?!?!
ReplyDeleteTHE AMR ADIB?!?!
?!?!
Has it come to this?!?!
And the proposal for a Sudan Ministry truly reflects delusions, time warps and a reality parallel to the one we live and function in...
I never imagined things could be so bad - Amr Adib...
@Sudanese Optimist: relax no one takes Al Wafd seriously.
ReplyDeleteFirstly you or another Anonymous said no one takes Amr Adib seriously when we brought up the damage he caused to Sudanese-Egyptian relations.
ReplyDeleteThen we find out he's member of a 'shadow cabinet' for the 'important' post of Minister of Information!
Then we're told no one takes that party seriously - even though it's one of Egypt's oldest parties.
First we're told that there's no racism in the Egyptian media when we bring up the flagrant example of black-face.
Then after we provide evidence of what black-face is and where it exists we are told that in Egypt it's not racist because - amongst other things this is how Egyptians treat each other.
Then when an Egyptian comments that racism does exist from his personal experience of marrying a black woman - finally - an admission is forthcoming - of racism - but not of the problem of black-face.
And the saga continues...
Where and when will the buck 'ever' stop?!
I suppose the Wafd's choice of Amr Adib as a shadow Minister is also the government's fault..?!
To Sudanese commentators , with my all respect to you when we say that we do not take this party seriously anymore than you should believe us
ReplyDeletewhen we say that this is a silly joke , then you should believe us.
This is not the old Wafd for God sake , you take really seriously so much I do not know why !
So basically everything in Egypt is a joke / not to be taken seriously??
ReplyDeleteWhich opposition do you take seriously?
To be honest , the one only that I take him seriously from the opposition is Mohamed ElBaradei.
ReplyDeleteI do not know about what the others in Egypt may think
My dear if you think that we understand nothing in the Sudanese issue , you too seemed to understand nothing in our internal politics with my all due respect because if you do , you will know that we do not have a real opposition and the average Egyptian Mohamed knows that very well and that's why he is absent from the scene despite he is coming back in a way or another
"So basically everything in Egypt is a joke / not to be taken seriously??"
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to politics, yes
now im the wafd they think they are a strong enough opposition to create a shadow government a la British commons. A party can make shadow government when it holds more than quarter of the house , they will be lucky to win 10 seats yet they create a shadow government .. don't you think that's a joke?
unless of course they know something that we don't and they may actually have enough seats, perhaps due to a deal with the government- bounty for sacking Ibrahim Eissa?
everyone knows the elections will be a fraud but they are happily participating because that's the only way to change the system from within..using the fucked up constitution that actually gives more executive power to a 'republican president' than a king in a monarchy. The opposition has been trying to change from within for ..erm.. the last 30 years?? they haven\t realised it isn't working just like the Mubarak supporters still believe he didnt get a fair chance in the last 29 years.
It's all a very dull joke and it seems aljazeera got caught in the facade too..behold, they are "covering" the "Elections". They can't send reporters to the ballots, the media is not allowed to shoot anything near but aljazeera is miraculously covering a "no-approach zone" in which everybody including the so-called opposition already knows the outcome.
.. yeah it's a joke.
Oh and ElBaradei, he is a real headache to the regime.. I mean Mubarak must be staying awake all night worrying about Elbaradei latest tweet.
ReplyDeleteElbaradei is a hapless wannabe dissident and between his very busy schedule and his international banquets, the only change he can instigate is a twitter revolution.
@Sudanese Optimist: a lot of figures are nothing but a facade. We and the outside World were led to believe that we have had real or at least more freedom of speech during the past few yrs. The regime was mainly influenced by wt was happening bet the US and Egypt during Bush's terms. So, we got ppl like Adeeb who seemed to be presenting what was on the minds of many of us as far as internal affairs were concerned. As the need for this facade was wearing, the reality of these figures was becoming more clear to the public. Adeeb isnt as an adored figure or even as influential as he once was. Adeeb isnt the only one, read on how Amr Khaled has been perceived in the public eye during the past few days. Look at how El Wafd that was at some point perceived by some as a potential hope for a much needed rebirth of real opposition parties, has lost favour even among those who were most optimistic about it. Few weeks, and El Wafd in its new suit was revealing itself as nothing but a puppet. Yes, so many issues and figures are nothing but a ploy or a toy thrown to divert ppls attention for sometime until those crazy minds running our country come up with a new way to distract us.
ReplyDeleteI side with Z on El Baradie but to be honest as a product of the 1980's generation Im a disbeliever in human Gods. My money is mostly on the youth, those from the 1980, 1990s. I see change as a generations battle with few from the older generations understanding our need for change and supporting us. I dnt see any of the existing parties as real, we are still ruled by one party in a one party system with added ineffective parties that are actually controlled or toyed with by the regime but dressed to look like opposition. Any goodwill or hope in the opposition, including the MBH was lost once they decided to participate in the elections, the same elections the ppl have given up so many yrs ago since they realised they are noting but a sham meant to grant the winning party false legitimacy.
Besides the youth, I applaud movements such as 6th April and Kefaya for being among the very first to actually get young Egyptians thinking about change and for putting up with the brutality of the security. They have paved the way but Im still betting on the young to take the lead.
One more thing, I for one read the sad events of Omraneyia as a glimpse of hope that finally, Egyptian Christians and Moslems or at least some of them are realising how the regime along with some others have been playing us, pitting us against each other over issues that arent decided by us but for us. The fact that some Muslims joined the demo yesterday with their fellow Christians against the security, the fact that the security brought its thugs yesterday in a failed attempt to turn the demo into a Christians v. Moslems demo and the fact that the victim's funeral today had Moslims from his village as well as Christians tells me more and more Egyptians have understood the play and refused to allow the regime to benefit from it.
So, do you see how many clowns and plays we had/have?
Elbaradei is a hapless wannabe dissident and between his very busy schedule and his international banquets, the only change he can instigate is a twitter revolution.
ReplyDeleteI really like that statement - those were my thoughts but you would know better...
It seems there's a real crisis...
As an outsider (who's been to Egypt many times and knows a little bit about Egypt) I would say the lack of a successor is a major de-stabilising factor.
How can there be no Constitutional contingency plan???
From my perspective Egypt is a paradox - on one hand it's the darling of the west, cornerstone of peace with Israel, recipient of high levels of economic aid and investment and worthy of praise from The Economist, in their issue from a couple of months back...
Arguably without the firm grip of stability in a country that has millennia of experience as a centralised power-structure - all of this could not have occurred.
On the other hand many of my Egyptian friends are absolutely bitterly disappointed and dismayed with the status quo.
What is certain is that, in my opinion, Egypt is a ticking demographic time-bomb - Egypt has one foot in the 20th Century and one foot firmly in the 21st Century and considering myself as a neutral observer I wonder whether 'economically' any other parties or candidates could do a better job...
Of course there are problems with corruption and nepotism and funds could be allocated for better causes, but overall - do people want to go back to an unsustainable Socialist system?
Are people awaiting another Nasser whose time and era have disappeared for good?
Just some thoughts and queries.
And what of Amr Khaled???
I'm intrigued.
Whether you believe us or not we do wish you the best.
Notwithstanding this goodwill, we are still fixated on our demands that you be a little bit more courageous in revisiting how you deal with 'the other' in Sudan and Africa in general.
There is no place for black-face amongst youth who strive for basic political and civil rights.
There should be no place for ultra-nationalism and jingoism either - regarding Egypt's Africa policy something has obviously been wrong for some time...
But thanks very much for the very insightful reply.
And the appointment of 'Amr Adib' as a shadow Minister is not even tragically comedic, it's an insult to the Egyptian people before anyone else.
ReplyDeleteHe's crude, audacious and an oaf.
Shame, shame, shame on any and all of those who think he is worthy of recognition in any form, let alone through an important political portfolio.
This is a man that Egyptians think would be worthy of their Ministry of Information???????
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scdyeS4YgEY
Here you go - in a nutshell - and she's not one of the commentators on here (we all know each other)
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxNpZL1_ZJ0
@Z, "Al Wafd party has announced Egypt’s first ever shadow cabinet."
ReplyDeleteAyman Nour's El Ghad party has several people including Said Elnashai in a shadow cabinet, so I don't know what you mean by Al Wafd being first. Said Elnashai is so clueless he falls for email scams, and so unstable he flies into a rage at innocuous charity solicitations. It would be hilarious if they came into power.
عمرو أديب و طاهر أبو زيد، ههه؟ هي الرجالة ديه مش لابسة بنطلونات ليه يا وديع؟
ReplyDelete@Tarek :D
ReplyDelete@Sudanese Optimist: Regarding Adeeb, I think Tarek's comment summarises our reaction :D
Well, I disagree with you about El Baradie. I do believe that the man isnt looking for becoming the next president or leader he is only an instigator and I like that a lot. The way I see it is the following, its either we get the usual leader like figure who would pretend to be good and different in the beginning and then once fully in control show us how much he doesnt care and this will mean more of the same of what we had/have and may be even worse. I pray we get no more human Gods. OR, we will have change coming through the actions and convictions of a good percentage of Egyptians, most notable young and from different classes and this for me is what I wish for and this for me is what will be the way for a better future. I do not want another leader I want a visionary w clean hands and good management skills. For El Baradie, I see him as perfect for a period of transition bec some basic laws and entities need to change and also the society needs to be given time for such a shift. So far he is the only one expressing principles that I believe in and that is why my money is on him. Im not sure why all the Sudanese comments are so negative about him though, may be you can explain more on that.
No one is talking about turning again 360 degrees and going all nationalist. Im not sure why you are making this point. True we have very good ties with the West but as long as we have a regime that relies on the West to stay in power we wont be able to deal with the West on equal footing and based on our own interests and not our regimes interests and that is what we need. As for the economy, yes its strange we are doing very well economically and this is puzzling to me. We are even among a group of 11 developing economies predicted by the economist who predicted the rise of BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) to be among leading 11 markets in the near future. I dnt think that even better figures wont be attained with a more democratic and more socially stable Egypt though. Political stability is a major factor for Foreign Businesses along with low levels of corruption and high levels of transparency. Insuring the rule of law and accountability along would have a major positive effect. Less money spent on security forces used to silence the ppl would mean more money to spend on education. As for the population problem, the problem is that we have govs who are incapable of making good use of its ppl. India, Brazil and China are leading examples here. As long as education is not a major issue, as long as decisions on projects and who is hired to do them, as long as getting a job esp w the gov mainly depends on your personal connections well never have properly executed projects, properly educated and trained populations. The same goes with our foreign affairs and ties and that includes Sudan and Africa as well.
In short, I might be dreaming, may be I wont see this in my life time but I do feel there are winds of change esp among younger Egyptians and I do believe it will happen. I just hope and pray it will be real change not just a superficial one.
One last thing to mention, about the black-face issue. I do admit the problem might be more than what I thought, even though I still maintain its more on the bad taste side and not intentional determined racism. Im saying this bec I was watching an Egy movie couple of days ago and its a 2004 one I think and they did have an originally dark-skinned actor painted in a darker-skin and playing the role of an Arabic speaking African, may be a Sudanese or a Somali not sure.
Why are the Sudanese comments about Al-Baradei negative?
ReplyDeleteBecause we don't know him - because he's said nothing about Sudan - because he hasn't been to Sudan (to the best of our knowledge) and we are therefore both weary and suspicious that he will be one and the same - as the current ruling crop.
Look, it's not up to you to decide whether or not it's 'determined' racism.
It's poking fun at people because of their skin tone and accent and it is the propagation of negative stereotypes and it is prevalent in the Egypt media for more than half a Century.
Some 'crimes' do not need a mens rea or intent - they are strict liability.
Black-face is regarded as being racist the world over - whether or not it's made by Egyptians in Egypt.
Is that so hard to understand?
@Africanist: why do you always have to be aggressive towards others? Why is it so difficult to reply back w/o attacking others?
ReplyDeleteIts not up to you to define this as general public plan to be racist. Several factors come into play and no I wont get into discussing this issue w any of u again. You simply are unable to hold a proper discussion w others w different opinions than yours. This is not a court of law to be talking liabilities and dnt get ur self into issues that are beyond your depth and mix issues.
The reasons you mentioned for your position from El Baradei are silly to say the least. He isnt running for presidency in Egypt, he isnt running for elections in Sudan to campaign for you to love him or to know him, its your job to knw the men of importance in your surrounding countries. Again, this goes to show your aggressive nature in evaluating issues.
I can't see any attack in the previous comment.
ReplyDeleteIf you can identify it please illuminate us.
It seems Anonymous, like you're skirting the issue - instead of addressing it head-on.
It's really simple.
Black-face is racist and we are deeply offended by it - and it exists in the Egyptian media and has many apologists and this is not right.
Several forces come into play re: black-face in the Egyptian media?
Illuminate us once more...
Obviously Africanist's (and mine and other Sudanese peoples') specific concerns regarding a Presidential aspirant in Egypt would be how well he knows Sudan and the Sudanese and what his vision is vis-a-vis relations - I don't see what's aggressive...or silly there!